


The Long Way Home

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Reaper76 [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Broken Promises, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fear, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Loss of Trust, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Missions Gone Wrong, Mutual Pining, Nesting, Nightmares, Psychological Torture, Rescue Missions, Scenting, Serious Injuries, Torture, Trauma, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-22 20:59:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16605353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Home was with Gabriel, curled up in a nest of blankets and cushions in the safety of their quarters. Captured during an inspection tour, Jack finds his very nature being used against him and home becomes a very distant prospect





	The Long Way Home

   Jack rubbed absentmindedly at his stomach as he stepped into his tent, huffing a sigh of relief when the heavy flap fell shut behind him, offering at least the illusion of privacy. Normally he didn’t mind being around the men, hell, usually he went looking for opportunities to talk to them and work with them, anything to get out of the office and away from the bureaucrats constantly hounding him for reports and meetings. Today though he’d found himself having to swallow back the urge to snap at the slightest thing, and he knew that some of the more astute ones had caught the edge to his voice, having caught them cautiously sniffing the air around him before moving away. If he’d needed any more confirmation that his heat was bearing down on him, that action had been it, and he’d hastily made his excuses and retreated, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hide for long and he wanted to groan.

   No, what he wanted was to be at home in the safety of his own quarters. Home with his mate, and the pile of blankets, clothes and cushions they kept specifically for his heats - the softest items they could find, fully saturated with their mingled scents after so long together. He growled, instinctively sniffing the air even though he knew there was nothing here to remind him of home. Instead, it smelt of dust, and too many men packed in together and his nose wrinkled. It wasn’t home. Uneasiness swept through him, the omega in him not liking the thought of a heat away from home and he felt his stomach cramp again, not sharp enough to be a proper one, but enough to warn him that it was coming and this time he did groan before stumbling across to the desk they had shoved into the tent for his use.

   He sank into the chair, abruptly aware of how tired and achy he was and wondering if he would even be able to get up again. Maybe he could tell them all to sod off, but he shook his head, knowing that wasn’t an option no matter how tempting it was. Instead, he glanced at the clock, doing some quick mental math before picking up his tablet and searching his contacts, lips quirking up at the sight of his mate’s name, and he hastily pressed dial before he could change his mind. Praying that he wasn’t too late, and the other man wouldn’t be in bed, because as much as he wanted -needed to talk to him, he amended as another cramp hit him, he didn’t want to rob the other man of much needed sleep. He was beginning to second guess himself as the call rang and rang, and he was about to cut it off when there was a beep, and Gabriel’s face appeared on the screen.

“Jack.”

“Gabe.” Jack couldn’t stop the croon that welled up in the back of his throat at the sight of the other man. It wasn’t enough, the tablet highlighting the distance between them, but it helped, and he smiled, drinking in the sight of his mate, before frowning slightly as he realised just how tired Gabriel looked and that he seemed to still be in his office despite the late hour. At once all thoughts of telling Gabriel of his approaching heat vanished because he knew that Gabriel would worry, especially as there was nothing he could do about it until Jack got home. Instead, he adopted a stern tone that he had learned from Ana. “You look like you should be sleeping.”

“Probably,” Gabriel admitted with a laugh, completely unfazed by his tone as he ran a hand over his face, before sighing and slumping back in his chair. “It’s been a long day Cariño and I miss you.” _I miss you,_ Jack hummed, echoing the sentiment more than Gabriel could ever know and something must have shifted in his expression. Either that he or he was closer to his heat than he had realised because Gabriel was sitting up again, all traces of weariness banished from his expression as he leant forward.

“Jack.” _Gods_ , Jack closed his eyes as another cramp hit him, followed by a wave of longing as his name rolled off his mate’s tongue and he knew that there was no way to hide it when a low whine slipped out, echoed by a worried noise from Gabriel that had him opening his eyes again. “How close are you?”

“Close,” Jack admitted reluctantly, seeing the worry in the dark eyes and hesitating before admitting just how close. “It’ll probably start before I’m home,” Gabriel growled at that, and Jack knew that if they hadn’t been continents apart, then the other man would have already been out of his chair and rushing to his side and that knowledge soothed him even when he felt a pang at the realisation that couldn’t happen. “It’s okay, no one is going to do anything.” No one would dare, not just because of who he was but because of the mating mark on the side of his neck that he had never made any effort to conceal. Not even the U.N. had been able to coerce him into that and they’d tried more than once, and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching up, fingers ghosting over the mark and seeing the flare of pleasure in Gabriel’s eyes at the gesture.

“I know,” Gabriel muttered, not letting himself get distracted from the issue at hand, although his gaze lingered on Jack’s hand for a moment longer. “Damn it,” he was out of the chair now and pacing from side to side, before turning and glaring at Jack. “I told you it was too close.”

“I know,” Jack ducked his head. It had been an ongoing argument for the week before he had left the base, and he had known that Gabriel was right, his nose already more sensitive than usual which was the first sign that his heat was incoming. “I’m sorry, but it’s not like I had a choice.” As much as he had wanted to go on this trip he had tried to get out of it, partly to ease Gabriel’s concerns especially after waking several nights in a row to find his mate awake and watching over him, worry written across his face and partly because the thought of heat surrounded by strangers made his skin crawl.

“How much do you have left to do?”

“One more inspection this afternoon,” Jack glanced at the itinerary he had scribbled out when he had arrived, relieved to see just how much was already crossed out. “And then tomorrow I’m going to visit the orphanage.”

“I…” Gabriel began and Jack froze, knowing what he was about to ask and bracing himself to refuse because whilst that last visit was optional there was no way he was going to skip it. “No, I won’t ask that…” Not for the first time, Jack was struck by how lucky he was with his mate, knowing that many other Alphas would have demanded his return, especially when it was for his own good and he smiled softly, a soothing croon in the back of his throat.

“Thank you.” He had been fighting for the chance to visit the orphanage for months, wanting to visit the group of kids that he had rescued during his last mission during the Crisis. A mission that had left him near death, having pushed himself to the limit whilst bleeding out. Something that Gabriel still hadn’t forgiven him for and that had left him laid up for longer than usual and by the time he had been released from medical, he had been shipped home and the kids sent to the orphanage.

“I know what it means to you.” Gabriel murmured, having spent the last few months supporting Jack’s fight against the brass who hadn’t felt like it was a good use of the Strike-Commander’s precious time to be visiting such establishments. Then the inspections had come up, and Jack had put his foot down, telling them that he would only do the inspections he was allowed to tie in a visit to see the kids. It was an argument he had won once it became clear that it would clash with his heat and that he could -with a great deal of difficulty, have cancelled the entire trip. “But you’re coming home after that?”

“I’ll be flying back straight after,” Jack nodded, he had been contemplating spending a little longer here, but now all he wanted to do was get home and be with his mate.

“Fine…I don’t like it, but fine,” Gabriel grumbled before he softened and smiled at Jack, knowing that he needed comfort rather than irritation and Jack hated the fact that he immediately relaxed under the new expression. “I’ll make sure our rooms are ready and that Ana and McCree can cover for us.” Jack hummed and nodded, relieved at least that there were never any arguments about them spending heats and ruts together like there had been in SEP when they had first mated, although he made a note to buy Ana and Jesse something in thanks as every time they covered something seemed to go wrong. “Speaking of, Ana brought you back a new blanket from her latest trip.”

“Where was she?”

“Morocco, I think,” Gabriel frowned before shrugging, it was hard enough keeping track of his own band of miscreants without trying to keep track of all of Ana’s wanderings. “You should see it Jack, all oranges and reds and so soft.”

“Soft?” Jack perked up at the word, missing his own bed - his nest. The covers and beds here were basic and uncomfortable, and they didn’t smell of home. They didn’t smell of Gabriel.

"Very,” Gabriel shot him a sympathetic look, knowing all too well what the beds were like. “I’ve been sleeping with it, so it should smell of me by the time you’re home.”

“Hmm,” Jack hummed, pleased with that news. He loved getting new bits to add to his nest, but they had to smell of at least one of them before he would add it, and he loved the fact that Gabriel was more than willing to help him, before laughing at the thought of yet another blanket to add to the mess. “We’re going to need a bigger bed soon.”

“Well if someone didn’t like nesting so much…” Gabriel grumbled, and Jack immediately bristled, too close to his heat to accept any criticism of his nest, and at once the other man held up his hands in an appeasing gesture. “I’m joking Jackie, I love your nests.” Jack’s mood did a complete one eighty at those words, preening at the praise about his nests and nearly missing the words that followed. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” he murmured, before lifting his head when he heard a noise outside and the sound of people approaching the tent and sighing. “I’ve got to go.” He didn’t want to go, didn’t want to deal with more people and more strange scents, especially not when his mate was talking to him, but he needed to work, and Gabriel needed to sleep. “You should go to bed.”

“I will,” Gabriel promised, looking just as reluctant to hang up. “Take care of yourself.”

“Always,” Jack promised in turn, ignoring the sceptical look that greeted his words and the fact that Gabriel had every reason to be suspicious, he always did push him himself too far. “I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

   He hung up then, knowing that if he didn’t do it right then he never would, besides there was someone outside calling his name. Sighing he pressed a hand to his stomach again, feeling it cramp once more and it took more effort than he cared to admit pushing himself up and move away from the desk, and as he headed outside, he couldn’t help but think that tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

**

   Gabriel ignored his exhaustion as he moved around their bedroom, carefully piling all the materials that Jack would need for his nest at the end of their bed. There were memories attached to most of the items. From the clothes they had been wearing the day that Jack had allowed him to claim him properly, to Gabriel’s favourite hoodie, his hand smoothing over the worn shirt that Jack had stolen from him back in SEP and used to sleep in during his heats, before glancing at the cushions and blankets that were mostly gifts from those they considered friends and family. There was a vast array of patterns, most of them coming from missions abroad and he couldn’t help but smile at the quiet show of support, lifting one of the cushions and scenting it before burying his nose in it and drinking in Jack’s scent.

   As always it called to mind the cosy farmhouse that Jack had grown up in and that Gabriel had come to love through the few visits they had managed to make, so different from his own home in L.A and he sighed. As much as he loved the scent, it made him acutely aware of Jack’s absence, and he set the cushion aside before sliding into bed, dutifully yanking the blanket from Ana around himself, although the lack of Jack’s scent made him want to growl. Soon, he promised himself which wasn’t as reassuring as he had hoped because it wasn’t soon enough, and he groaned, closing his eyes, unable to shake the image of Jack staring at him, cheeks starting to pink as his heat approached, eyes overly bright. He knew that if he had been in that tent with Jack, then he would have been able to smell it, and it made the lack of Jack’s scent in the blanket around him even harder to bear. And he was glad that he wouldn’t have to wait too long, although he was tempted to make sure that Jack didn’t go away again any time soon, because the last week had been hell.

Jack, I miss you.

****

   Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to do something to stop the scents that were assailing him and adding to the headache building behind his eyes. Somehow, he’d got through the inspection the day before without taking anyone’s head off, although he had a feeling that someone had prewarned them because it had been too smooth, too easy. However, that had been the one bright spot of the afternoon, his mood rapidly souring when the brass tried to sign him up for a press conference and another inspection that would clash with his visit to the orphanage. Not helping was the fact that his heat seemed to have decided to move up the schedule and by the time he’d fallen onto the narrow bed that night, his stomach had been cramping constantly, and he could feel heat beginning to simmer beneath his skin.

   He hadn’t slept. It was hard enough to sleep without his mate on a normal night, as he was too used to curling up against Gabriel’s chest and burying his nose against his mate’s neck to settle without him, but with the heat pressing in on him, it was impossible. He wanted to be at home. He wanted Gabriel. He needed to nest… and by the time morning had come around he was huddled under his covers, his bag upended, and all his clothes tucked around him, and he wanted to cry, because he never nested in the field, and it wasn’t his nest.

    When he had emerged that morning, he’d been in a foul mood, and he had been simultaneously relieved and annoyed when everyone had decided to give him a wide berth. He didn’t want to snap at them, knowing that he would regret it once the heat died down and yet at the same time he wanted something to distract him. Instead he’d eaten by himself and tried not to imagine Gabriel feeding him, knowing that his mate would do just that over the next few days when he was laid low by his heat, and after only a few bites he had pushed the food away and just sat there sipping tea and trying to settle his stomach and his temper so that he wouldn’t take it out on the kids.

It hadn’t worked.

   Whilst he was delighted to see that the once dilapidated building had been completely refurbished and that the children were doing well, although many of them still bore the haunted look of someone who had seen too much, it rapidly became too much. It had been all right at the start, the older ones had recognised him and gathered around, much as they had the day he had broken into where they were hidden, only this time most of them were chattering away to him rather than regarding him with fearful silence. There were some who still hung back, the arid scent of their fear tickling his nose and he had made sure to stop with each of those, talking to them in the soft voice he had honed to perfection with Fareeha, delighting in drawing even a single word from them.

   Then one of them had leapt at him, wrapping him up in a desperate hug. It would have been so easy to push the boy off, the thin arms around his neck nothing in comparison to his strength but he held still, one arm curling around the boys back even as he the urge to shove him away welled up. He was too close, his scent too strong, and even though he had yet to present, Jack’s omega senses were screaming at him to escape, to protect himself and the mark on his neck. Thankfully the hug was short lived, the boy going red and backing away in a hurry when he realised what he’d done, and Jack prayed that his smile was just that when he reassured him, even as he sucked in desperate breaths and pressed a hand to his mark.

   But it wasn’t enough. The floodgates had opened, and suddenly everything was too much. Scents pressing in on him, making him curl in on himself and whine in the back of his throat and he wanted to curse as he felt heat rippling up his spine. It was close.

   He could’ve wept with relief when someone stepped in and herded the kids and their carers away, shrinking back from a hand that tried to rest soothingly on his shoulder and with a muttered apology he turned and fled. He just needed a few minutes. A few minutes out in the open, with no foreign scents pressing in on him and a breeze to soothe the burning that was spreading through his body.

He needed Gabe.

He needed his nest.

He wanted to go home.

**

  He wasn’t sure how long he’d been outside, certainly longer than he had intended and he knew that someone must be distracting the others for him and he made a note to thank them later, slowly uncurling from his huddled position against the wall. He breathed deeply, relieved when all he could smell was fresh air, the plants in the garden and his only slightly sweetened scent and he let himself slump back against the wall with a sigh. It had been a long time since he had spent the approach to his heat without Gabriel by his side and it was an experience he would happily avoid in the future because even now he was calmer, he still felt overwhelmed.

   Another scent tickled his nose, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching him and he growled low in his throat and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to deal with anyone right now. It took a moment for him to realise that the footsteps had stopped at his growl, and for half a moment he was tempted to leave them waiting, stunned that they had shown such sensitivity. However, he could still smell them, an unpleasant, sour smell that made him want to gag and he sighed, resigned to the fact that he couldn’t ignore them for much longer.

“It’s okay…” It wasn’t, but even in his current state, he could realise that the sooner he finished up here, the sooner he could get home. The sooner he could be with his mate, he reached up and brushed a hand over his mark. _Gabe…_ “Are we ready to go?” Please say yes, he felt terrible, wanting nothing more than to spend more time with the kids especially after fighting so hard to get the visit, but right now he just wanted to leave, if only to make sure that he didn’t lash out in his increasing agitation.

“Yes, Sir.” The footsteps were drawing closer now, and Jack couldn’t stop himself from gagging slightly at the scent that was now pressing in on him, and he frowned, realising that he didn’t recognise it from the ones that had accompanied him to the orphanage. His eyes flew open at that realisation, his hand clamping down on his mark as alarm flooded him. He was already moving, surging to his feet with the instincts built up over years of fighting and heightened by his approaching heat screaming at him that he was in danger.

It was too late.

    He had a fleeting glimpse of an unfamiliar man wearing the same uniform as his entourage, and an even more fleeting thought that Gabe was going to kill him if he survived this and then the world exploded in pain, and he found himself crashing to the ground, still conscious albeit barely. His vision blurred, a nausea welling up and all he could focus on was the sour scent that was overwhelming him as the man crouched over him, and stubbornly he lifted his head, the world fading in and out of focus. “I…” He wasn’t even sure what he was trying to say. A threat. A plea. _Why? Why are you doing this?_ But he never got chance to finish, to ask the questions pressing in on him as a second blow tipped him over the edge into consciousness.

****

   Paperwork had never been Gabriel’s forte, it was why he pushed as much of it onto his subordinates as he could. Yet with his impending leave to deal with Jack’s heat, he had decided to spend the afternoon trying to clear some of it for McCree, a decision he came to regret barely an hour in and which now had him wanting nothing more than to toss the files into the bin. The only thing stopping him was that he was waiting for Jack to message him to tell him that he was on the flight home, because that would signify the start of his leave as he would need an early night to make sure that he was fully rested to take care of Jack when his heat hit properly. It didn’t stop him from muttering and grumbling under his breath as he worked though, and he knew that was the reason why he hadn’t seen either Genji or McCree today as they had both learnt the hard way that he would quite happily rope them into helping and make them endure his rapidly deteriorating mood.

   Which was why he was surprised an hour later when there was a knock on the door, frowning as he glanced at the clock. It was late. _Too late_ , something whispered as he realised that he had been working and waiting for Jack’s call a lot longer than he should’ve been, and when there was another urgent knock on the door he felt the unease that had begun to stir flaring up.

“Come in.” If he hadn’t been uneasy before, he was when Ana who should’ve been home with Fareeha by now stepped into his office with a grim expression, tailed by an equally solemn looking McCree and he tensed, growling low in the back of his throat when they closed the door behind them. “What is it?” It had to be Jack, he had no teams in the field right now, and he knew that whilst Overwatch had plenty of teams in the field none of the current missions was flagged as urgent or high risk. Apart from Jack, and he glanced at the clock again, a sick feeling slipping in when they shared a worried look. “Tell me.”

“Jack’s missing.”

   Two words. Two simple words and yet they slammed into him with the force of a wrecking ball, and the desk creaked beneath his hands as he gripped the edge. _Jack_. It wasn’t the first time his mate had been targeted, both during the Crisis and in the ‘peace’ that had followed. And although the threats had become worse since he had donned the Strike-Commander coat, none of them had come close to success, Gabriel had made sure of that, so how had this got past him? Who had got past him?

“What happened?”

“They’re not sure,” Ana admitted cautiously, holding up her hands when he growled at her. “According to our sources on the ground they found evidence of an attack, there was blood on the ground which was identified as Jack’s.”

“No sign of a struggle?” Gabriel demanded, knowing that there was no way Jack would’ve gone quietly. He had never been one to roll over and bow down, and with his heat approaching he would have been more ferocious than normal because every instinct would’ve been screaming at him to escape, to come home, to get to Gabe. _And I wasn’t there_ … Jack had needed him, and he had been miles away distracting himself with paperwork, and his shoulders sank even before Ana slowly shook her head, a cold feeling washing over him.

They had all been caught unaware, including Jack...

   There was a momentary flare of anger, because Jack had promised to take care of himself. Had promised that he would be seeing him soon, but it died as quickly as it had appeared because he knew that Jack would give anything to keep his word. And he had been stopped from doing…hurt… taken… he was barely aware of the unrestrained growls bubbling up his throat, or the grooves that he was digging in the edge of the desk.

_Jack. Jack. Jack._

“Boss…?” It was McCree who had the courage to approach him, hands spread to show that he wasn’t a threat, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice if Gabriel lashed out and the sight of that was enough to make Gabriel suck in a deep breath and release his grip on the desk. It didn’t keep the sharp edge of his voice, but nothing would, not when he knew that his mate was missing, that he was hurt. Blood - identified as Jack's… He was slipping again, and he pinched his wrist, refusing to let himself lose focus again and instead he rose to his feet.

“We’re going.” It wasn’t a question. There was no way he would entrust this search to anyone else, not when those he had trusted to keep his mate safe on a peaceful mission had already failed.

“Gabriel…”

“Jack’s coming into heat…” Gabriel cut off her protest, seeing her pale at his words. He hadn’t had chance to grab either of them yet to tell them about Jack, Ana had been caught up in a meeting earlier when he had gone searching for her and McCree had been avoiding him like the plague and he had hoped that dropping it on them the next day would save him from some of the grumbling. “It was close yesterday, he…” He choked and had to look down, knowing that the stress of being attacked and waking up in a strange place would bring his heat on faster. He absolutely refused to think about Jack not waking up, even as the cold, analytical part of his mind knew it was a possibility, that Jack was a dangerous man to be left alive especially when he was in heat “He might have even started already, and…”

“We’ll find him,” McCree murmured, cutting him off as he began to growl again. The younger man had yet to find a mate of his own but had always proved himself level headed around the omega agents and had been particularly protective of Genji since he’d joined. Gabriel could in the tawny eyes that met his gaze, that McCree understood his concern, and it helped to settle him a little.

“I’ve been ordered to stay on base,” Ana looked frustrated, but Gabriel shook his head, knowing that someone had to stay on the base and take the reins for the time being. He tried not to think about it as though the U.N. were already trying to replace his mate.

“We’ll bring him back.” _We have to bring him back_ , there was no other choice, his hand crept up to his own mating mark remembering how Jack had touched his just the day before. It had barely been twenty-four hours since they had been talking to one another, planning Jack’s heat, drinking in the sight of each other and now it was threatening to turn to ruin. He shook his head and yanked his hand away as he caught their sympathetic glances, focusing on Ana for a second before turning to his own second in command. “Ana, just feed us any information you get. McCree…”

“I’ll meet you at the hangar.”

    Gabriel was relieved when the younger man immediately left, trusting him to get things ready before he turned to look at Ana who had taken a step closer the moment the door closed behind McCree. “Gabriel…”

“I’m fine.”

“Jack’s strong.” _Of course_ , he is, he swallowed back the urge to snap at her, seeing the concern in her eyes and knowing that she was worried about Jack as well.

“I know.” _But it might not be enough…_

   He tensed when she closed the distance between them and wrapped him up in a tight hug, her scent wasn’t his mate’s, but it was family, and it soothed him. And despite himself, he found himself melting into her hold, letting his head fall against her shoulder. Finally letting himself voice the doubts that he would never let himself show around McCree. “What if I can’t find him? Or…” _What if I’m too late_? He couldn’t put that into words, flinching just at the thought of it and at the knowledge that it might already be too late. _Blood…they found his blood._

“You’ll find him,” there was no doubt in her voice or her expression when she pulled back to look at him, one hand cupping his cheek, fingers brushing his skin soothingly although she was careful to stay away from his mark. “You’ll find him and bring him home, and then you’ll take some time off and spoil him rotten.” She made it sound so simple, so easy and gods did he want to believe her. However, he couldn’t shake the memory of overly bright eyes and the slight grimaces when Jack had tried and failed to hide his cramps, and he couldn’t shake the fear that came with the thought of his mate facing his heat whilst in enemy hands, miles from home, and away from him.

_Jack…_


End file.
